The Blue Door
Page 22
Tansy offered a soft meow from the seat she’d claimed on the porch swing, and Prissie soon had a lapful of purring barn cat. Koji sat on the steps, his dark eyes fixed on a point in the distance. “What do you see?” she whispered, hoping she would get to visit with Omri again.
“Jedrick is coming!”
“Is that good or bad?” she asked nervously. Koji didn’t have time to answer before there was a silent explosion of green light just beyond the garden. Though she’d only seen the phenomenon a few times before, Prissie vividly remembered the beautiful shifting patterns of light and color that made up an angel’s wings.
“He is here,” Koji announced unnecessarily.
A towering, armor-clad figure strode up the walk, and as he drew nearer, a second angel slipped out of the shadows just beyond the hydrangeas lining the porch. Prissie tried not to stare and failed miserably. Angelic warriors were huge, fantastical, and actually kind of scary, so it was hard to look away, especially once she realized that even without the porch light on, she could see them quite well. It was as if they brought their own light with them into the darkness. Could this be an angel’s halo?
Rich green fell from Jedrick’s shoulders, flowing almost like a cloak or cape as he strode forward on booted feet. “Are you well, Priscilla Pomeroy?” inquired the stern-faced warrior. Jedrick was a Protector, and he was the captain of the team of angels that Milo, Koji, and the rest belonged to. His light brown hair was cropped close around his head except for one long braid, which hung over his left shoulder; the jeweled pommel of the sword strapped to his back was visible over his right.
His inquiry was hard to answer. It felt like a trick question. Up until a few moments ago, Prissie had been just fine, but Jedrick’s arrival brought back unsettling memories and made her wonder if there were invisible enemies prowling around in the dark. She hugged her cat close and shrugged.
Just behind him stood Tamaes, a Guardian whose long, brown hair only partially covered the jagged scar that marred his otherwise handsome face. He stepped forward. “Do not be afraid, little one,” he said gently. “Jedrick is not here because of danger nearby.”
Jedrick looked sharply at his companion, then his expression altered subtly. Though his face lost none of its fierce quality, the Protector’s green eyes softened somewhat. “On the contrary, it is a quiet night.”
Prissie glanced at Tamaes. It was irksome that he had known exactly what was on her mind, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. Tamaes was her guardian angel. Since the moment her life began, he’d been watching over her. It made sense that he would understand how she felt. He looked as though he wanted to say more, but was too bashful to get it out. Instead, Tamaes gazed at her with undisguised fondness, and she was the one who glanced away.
Koji nudged closer on the porch swing and touched the back of her hand. When she met his earnest gaze, he said, “Prissie, I would not lead you into danger.”
“There are things to be afraid of, though,” she countered in a soft voice.
Jedrick solemnly shook his head and declared, “Fear not, for I am with you.”
“Indeed,” Koji said.
A war was being waged, and there were enemies so terrible, she’d been told to be grateful they were hidden from her eyes. However, here and now, she was as safe as she could be. If only things could stay this way. “So why are you here?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“I am often here,” Jedrick replied, looking amused. “My responsibilities keep me close.”
“What are those?” she asked.
The captain folded his muscular arms and cocked his head to one side. “I protect those in my Flight, and we each have our role to fill. Some stand guard over that which is ours to keep. Some seek that which has been lost. Some can only watch and wait.”
Prissie glanced at Koji, whose pensive face was once more turned towards the sky. “That which has been lost? Do you mean Ephron?” she asked carefully. Ephron was Koji’s predecessor, an apprentice Observer who’d been taken by the enemy.
“I do,” Jedrick confirmed. “Koji, I need to ask you to tell me more about your dream.”
“He was somewhere close. Somewhere dark,” the boy replied.
This was nothing new, but his captain nodded encouragingly. “Go on.”
“He was hurt. Frightened …” Koji’s voice trembled. “And he said he would keep your trust no matter what else was taken.”
Jedrick exchanged a long look with Tamaes before saying, “They are questioning him. It is as Abner feared.”
Tamaes winced. “It is my fault,” he murmured.
“Do not think it,” Jedrick said. “None of us can take the blame for those who chose to fall.”
“What do they mean?” Prissie whispered to Koji.
He looked at her with sorrowful eyes. “Ephron came to visit Tamaes on the day he was taken. The enemy captured him here, in your family’s orchard.”
ROUGH & TUMBLE
While you’re waiting for The Hidden Deep, you can read more about angels and the Pomeroy family on Christa’s website, ChristaKinde.com. Rough and Tumble is an adventurous continuation to the Threshold Series, about a young angel named Ethan, who’s sent to serve with the other Guardians of the Hedge surrounding the Pomeroy family farm. One mischievous little boy is about to turn Ethan’s life upside down!
At just one hundred words, chapters are small enough to read on the fly—with daily updates and new installments.
Become a subscriber at ChristaKinde.com!
About the Author
CHRISTA KINDE Head in the clouds. Feet on the ground. Heart in the story. Christa Kinde is a cheerful homebody whose imagination takes her to new places with every passing day. Making her home between misty mornings and brimming bookshelves in Southern California, she keeps her lively family close and her trusty laptop closer. Christa has been writing for more than a decade, producing numerous workbooks and study guides for Max Lucado, John MacArthur, and Women of Faith. This is her first novel. ChristaKinde.com
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The Blue Door
Copyright © 2012 by Christa Kinde
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